Indiana University will offer degrees in intelligent systems engineering beginning in the 2016-17 academic year, following the approval of the university’s proposal by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. The new engineering program, the first on the IU Bloomington campus, will be housed within the School of Informatics and Computing and will offer bachelor’s and Ph.D. degrees, with a proposal for a master’s degree expected to be developed soon after the program’s launch. The program, approved by IU trustees in April, is an integral part of the Bicentennial Strategic Plan for Indiana University, which calls for the university to support a culture of building and making.

It was created in response to a need for additional trained engineers in southwest central Indiana to support major employers such as Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center, Cook Group and Cummins Inc. and to help attract new industry to the region. The university also expects the new program to open the door for increased collaboration with Purdue and other universities in the state that already offer engineering, which will benefit students and industry in Indiana. With the establishment of these degree programs, IU Bloomington joins its peers in the 62-member Association of American Universities.

Kroger Central Division launched The Kroger Co.’s new online grocery ordering system. Customers order online at Kroger.com/onlineshopping. On the website, a customer builds a shopping cart, selects a pick-up time during a one-hour window and a store location, and then places the online order. A Kroger store associate hand picks order items and stores them in temperature-appropriate zones until the customer arrives. Once the order is complete, the customer pulls their vehicle into the designated pick-up lane and a store associate will load the order in their car.

Central Division President Jeff Burt said Kroger recently announced a major expansion strategy in the Indianapolis region that included at least $465 million in new, expanded and remodeled stores, as well as a regional training center and more than 3,400 new jobs. Each store with an e-commerce department will include additional capital investments in stores and 30 to 60 new jobs per store in addition to the previously announced numbers. The online ordering program strengthens Kroger’s significant commitment to Indiana and Illinois communities.

Two of the top college-oriented publications in the U.S. continue to include Hanover College among the nation’s best. Survey-based rankings in publications from The Princeton Review and Forbes magazine have each lauded Hanover in such categories as most beautiful campus, quality of education and student experience. For the 11th consecutive year, The Princeton Review has named Hanover one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education.

The New York-based education services company features Hanover in its guide, “The Best 380 Colleges – 2016 Edition.” Hanover ranked 19th for “most beautiful campus” along with citing its academics, admission selectivity and financial aid packages. The college totaled 89 of a possible 99 points in its academic rating, 87 points for admission selectivity and 80 points in financial aid. Students in the survey hailed Hanover’s campus life, calling their classmates, “well-rounded, smart and very friendly” students who know how to deftly “balance a healthy social life with a strong academic focus.”

Additionally, students ranked Hanover’s professors high, giving them a total of 93 points, with one student calling them “amazing.” They also noted the college’s small class size and lack of teaching assistants. Hanover is located on 650 acres overlooking the Ohio River in southeastern Indiana. The liberal arts institution’s core strengths are in the sciences, education and business.